"They're waiting for you, you know."
"Let them."
"Don't you understand how important this is? This isn't like the others, I've seen the reports, how tense both sides are getting-"
"I don't care."
"…"
"I'm not ready."
"But you are-"
"Not because of any inability. Because I choose not to be ready. I've played my part, I've done my work. Now, the world can take care of itself."
"That's the point, it can't take care of itself. Humanity needs guidance. I'm not going to budge on this-"
"Neither am I. I'm not going for their sake, I never have. It's taken a long time to see that everyone only looks out for themselves. The people and their behavior are a product of their own making. If they didn't want me, then they won't have me. I'm perfectly content to abide by their doctrine, and take care of myself."
"You can't afford that line of thinking, not anymore. The Trinary Star won't be content to leave you be once you go through with this. War will come, and people will be choosing sides."
"…"
"Make sure they're on the right one."
"… I wish I knew which one was right anymore."
- Mystery transmission heard on an unsecured communications channel
Clara walked down the steps of the temple with Dirk at her side, and a newfound appreciation for winter wear. The boots, fur vest, and coat she wore were more than enough compensation for the cold temperatures. Outside, mist seeped in around the courtyard and provided a layer of fog that hindered clarity. Due to this, a glow-like aura could be seen whenever an Exo was looking at you, emitting from their vibrantly colored eyes. This was true for her as well, small blue spotlights shining out into the fog like a lighthouse. Ghost followed behind them as she talked with Dirk.
"So, why has this gotten everyone so anxious?" she asked. "I mean, it doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Then again, I'm a bit of a newcomer to this world you occupy, so maybe I don't see the full picture."
He nodded. "Well, it mostly has to do with the Trinary Star. See, they've been claiming for years that this is nothing but a story, which I believe as well. Thing is, that cult has been around since the Traveler was still in power. They've always hated it, and in turn, its Light and any who wield it."
He held out a hand, and a small ember appeared in the center with no visible source. "As a Keeper, I'm a bit more in tune with it than a normal civilians. I've heard theories that it's like radiation fallout, where prolonged exposure to Light has mutated us to be more adaptive with it." He clenched his fist, and the flame extinguished. "Either way, I can't do much with it, but it helps from time to time. Now, these 'Guardians' of which the Last Hunter is supposed to be one, are despised by the Star. They think of those legends like they were demons, and the Traveler was the devil. So, they understandably try to suppress any mention or remembrance of them, and they've got a lot of influence to do it."
They arrived at the fire pit, and Dirk looked around at the crowd, many of them talking with one another as others wandered aimlessly. "The rest of humanity doesn't really care about what we used to be, or what the Traveler once did. But there are some who still praise the Light and all that, and they heavily resent the Star. They call themselves the Seven Seraphs, and they go back a long ways too. But they're not nearly as big as the Star, and they don't have any real records of what truly happened all that time ago, so they're just about as much in the dark about everything as we are."
He placed a hand on his chest plate. "Now, as Keepers, we try to stay neutral. We may be low-level versions of these 'Guardians', whoever they were, but our job is just to keep the peace. If either side ends up attacking the other, that's where we step in. Humanity is far too endangered already, we can't have ourselves killing one another."
She gazed around at the plethora of people as well, some dressed like Dirk, some appearing to be nothing more than average people who had come for the opportunity of a lifetime. "So, most people are here because they want to see if it's true … the Star is angry at the idea that a Guardian might still be alive … and the Seven want this Hunter for what?"
"Well, my guess is that they'd like them as a source of history," he mused. "I mean, if you had someone who knew what really happened, things could definitely sway in your favor. You could gain a lot of influence, maybe start making changes in big ways." He hummed thoughtfully.
That sounded a lot like the Seven wanted to take the Star down, and vice versa. The Keepers were the only ones stopping that from happening, but if this Hunter was real … Clara had a feeling that peace wouldn't be an option for long.
"Best thing we can hope for," Dirk continued, "is that this is a no-show and everything just goes back to normal. Honestly, the idea that some kind of ancient-"
He fell silent as a loud metal groan could be heard from the direction of the bridge, towards the doors. Some others began to fall quiet too, looking interestedly over at the source of the noise. There, Clara saw that the heavy set of doors was opening to allow a new arrival.
Someone could be seen standing there, waiting for the doors to stop moving. They finally ceased their movement, and Dirk grunted. "I've got to go greet them, probably another person here for the gathering …"
Clara had a peculiar feeling about what was about to happen, and she decided to watch carefully.
Ghost materialized, and followed her gaze. "That fellow looks … unusual."
Dirk stopped at the bridge, and called out to the stranger. "You here for the gathering? We're a bit packed, but just make sure that-"
Without making a sound, the individual began walking forward. Not menacingly or in a way meant to intimidate; just with the gait of someone who had a particular destination in mind. As they walked closer across the bridge, Clara could see more specific details.
They seemed to be of fairly decent build, shorter than Dirk but in no way physically deficient. It was obviously a man by the lack of more prominent physical traits. Their garb was primarily white and black, great camouflage amongst the snowy terrain that surrounded Felwinter Peak.
They wore a hauberk with stitched padding over their chest, and a fur-padded strap that stretched from their left shoulder to the right side of their waist. Leather boots covered their legs up to their knees, and their arms seemed to be wrapped in layers of torn fabric. On their shoulders were white plates of metal, intricately crafted and obviously of high quality in stark contrast to the rest of their garments.
They had stopped in front of Dirk, impeded by the latter's position at the other end of the bridge. As they looked into his face, she saw that they wore a unique helmet; it had two eyes and a wickedly beautiful design of a mouth engraved into it, the middle and sides sharpening into points. Draped around them was a hooded cloak, a tuft of fur surrounding the shoulders and neck like a scarf while the rest of it draped behind them, long and tattered with scars. The hood above their head cast a shadow into the front of their helmet, only intensifying the intimidation that everyone felt while staring at them.
"Who are you?" Dirk asked cautiously. At the moment, it seemed like he thought this person was just here to cause trouble.
The stranger gave no answer, but a faint noise not unlike a hiss of modulation could be heard behind him, and a familiar object floated into view.
"That's a Ghost," Ghost whispered. "He has a Ghost."
Everyone else in the courtyard fell silent, evidently realizing what exactly was transpiring. The magnitude of the situation could not have been more apparent.
"It's him," Clara breathed. "The Hunter's real."
Dirk seemed to be at a loss for what to do. He had blatantly stated his disbelief in such a tale, but the proof of the Last hunter's existence was standing right in front of them. They looked toward Dirk's feet for a moment, and then back to his face. The message was clear.
Dirk stepped back hurriedly, allowing the Hunter passage. They said nothing, but finally moved forward again. Slowly, they walked through the ranks of people in the courtyard as their Ghost followed behind them. Everyone parted before them, giving them space to move freely. The chatter and speech that had occupied the air mere moments before had now been reduced to nothing. The tension everyone felt was more than enough expression for them.
There was an aura around them, almost a tangible force that she could sense around him; it commanded respect from those around him, yet she felt that he did not truly care. It was not prestige he desired, but he received it anyway.
He continued up towards the fire, standing in front of it for a moment. He bowed deeply in respect to it, though for what purpose, Clara hadn't the foggiest idea. Perhaps this site was of importance to him? In any matter, he disregarded the stares and unblinking gazes that tracked his every move, and paid attention to no one.
That is, until he passed by her.
As he walked away from the fire towards the stairs of the temple, he stopped and looked at her. She was petrified, bewildered as to why she was of such interest. Then his head snapped towards the humming noise she heard to the right of her, and she realized that he was now staring at Ghost.
The Hunter's own Ghost floated forward a few inches as everyone watched, and looked at its counterpart curiously. Ghost seemed shocked by the attention, and he had completely frozen in mid-air. After a few moments, it moved back in line with its companion, and he broke his gaze away from her.
Up the stairs he travelled, and then to the left towards a minimally marked path up the mountain. Without hesitation, they began to make the journey to the top, silent as they did so.
It was a few moments before he disappeared from sight as he climbed, and even longer before anyone spoke.
"So," Clara stated dryly, "it would appear that the Last Hunter is real."
"Yeah," mumbled Ghost in a very small voice, "it appears so."
—X—
Every gust of air that skirts its way around the mountain threatens to throw him off, and send him plunging to the ground far below.
He can't help but feel that it wouldn't be an altogether unwelcome outcome.
Silent for the entirety of his journey's duration, he makes his way upward. Jumping across gaps in the rocks, using handholds whenever necessary, even scaling a small section of the side that had become nearly vertical since the last time he'd ascended this mountain.
The Ghost next to him says nothing. There's nothing to say that hasn't been said.
As he climbs, however, something that hasn't happened in a very long time begins to take place.
He thinks of someone else.
Most of these days, his time was spent keeping to himself and staying away from the settlements. He looked out for his own sake, no one else's. But that Exo … she and the Ghost behind her had intrigued him for far longer than he usually entertained the thoughts of others in his mind. Those blue eyes, the white and silver plating …
Shaking his head, he swiped those thoughts aside. It was of no matter. She was just another Exo of many, not worth the energy he spent thinking about her. But still, something gnawed at him, persists in his mind. There was something about her …
His musings were cut short by his realization that he made it to the top. Gripping the edge of a rocky outcrop, he heaved himself onto the much wider and open space that awaits him. Here, near the tip of Felwinter Peak, was his destination. Walking onto the ledge, he inhaled a deep breath and releases it. It's been a very long time since he was last here. Ironically, time was something he had no want for, but he had far too much of it.
Unfortunately, that might not be the case much longer. He'd been seen by a few people, yes, but there were far too many down below to escape detection. They all saw him, were all witnesses to his existence. He growled as he pondered that maybe his Ghost was right; the Star would not rest until they found him, now that he'd inadvertently proven his actuality.
Opting to worry about that later, he sat down and waited patiently. His arrival was timely, and she'd certainly never missed a meeting.
Indeed, it was mere moments before an entity began to materialize. An orb of blue light, hovering above the ground ever so slightly. He watched as it pulsed, and slowly began to take shape-
A sound interrupted his thoughts, and he quickly looked away from the mountain. With the sound waves bouncing everywhere throughout the mountain range, it was difficult to triangulate the source; but he finally pinpointed something which aligned with the sound he'd heard.
The sound of a dropship's engines.
It was a Hawk model, something he actually recognized. Technology hadn't advanced much in the many years past, admittedly, but it was still a confirmation of what he feared.
The Trinary Star was here.
A/N: For any who are confused about where this is going, the only hint I can give you is this; re-read the chapters "Incarnation" and "Tooth and Claw" from the fourth book. There are parts of them that will be addressed very soon, and maybe you'll see where I've been leading up to this whole time.
With me, I'm always playing the long game.
Until the next time,
- Matteoarts